A Great Wall

A Great Wall

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Peter Wang
Written by Shirley Sun
Peter Wang
Starring Peter Wang
Kelvin Han Yee
Sharon Iwai
Music by Ge Ganru
David Liang
Cinematography Robert Primes
Peter Stein
Edited by Grahame Weinbren
Distributed by Orion Classics
Release dates
  • May 30, 1986
Running time
97 min
Country United States
Language English
Mandarin

A Great Wall is a 1986 comedy-drama film written, directed and starring Peter Wang. It is the first American feature film shot in the People's Republic of China. This was Kelvin Han Yee's first film.

Plot

When a Silicon Valley Chinese American executive goes back to his homeland of China for the first time in 30 years, he and his family encounter many culture clashes between the lives that they lead in the United States and the lives of their relatives in China. The finale of the movie includes an exciting table tennis match involving the Chinese-American son played by Kelvin Han Yee.

Reception

The film was met with critical acclaim. The film has a score of 80% with a certified "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews.[1]

Acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert from the Chicago-Sun Times awarded the film with 3 out of 4 stars and wrote of the film saying "A Great Wall is a human comedy about a Chinese-American family that goes to visit relatives in Peking, and within that simple premise are so many inspirations that the movie is interesting even when it's just looking at things." and went on to say "The chief pleasure of "A Great Wall" is its observation of the different attitudes toward the daily process of living in China and the United States."[2]

External links

References